Hundreds of Florida panther sightings reported

A young female Florida panther has been struck and killed by a car near Naples.

Photo courtesy FWC

By News Herald staff report

Published: Thursday, August 15, 2013 at 09:54 AM.

The public has reported hundreds of sightings of
Florida
panthers to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website launched a year ago, where people can record when and where they saw a panther or its tracks, FWC officials wrote in a news release.

“The public’s willingness to share what they have seen or collected on game cameras is incredibly helpful and shows us where panthers presumably are roaming in
Florida
,” said Darrell Land, who heads the FWC’s panther team. “We thank everyone using the Report Florida Panther Sightings website and encourage others to participate in this citizen-science venture.”

Only 12 percent of the reports included a photograph and could be evaluated by Commission biologists. Of those with photos, the majority were confirmed as panthers. Other animals identified by FWC biologists were bobcats, foxes, coyotes, dogs, house cats and even a monkey, officials wrote. Most often the reported animal or tracks belonged to a bobcat, when it was not a panther. The verified panther reports were largely confined to southwest
Florida
, the well-documented breeding range for panthers in the state. There also were several verified sightings in south central
Florida
.

“As the population of this endangered species grows, the FWC expects more
Florida
panthers to be seen in areas of the state where they have not lived for decades,” Land said. “To properly plan and manage for the expansion of the panther’s range in
Florida
, information about where the panthers are is vital.”

The
Florida
panther population is estimated to be 100 to 160 adults and yearlings, a figure that does not include panther kittens. As recently as the 1970s, the
Florida
panther was close to disappearing, with as few as 20 animals in the wild.

The public has reported hundreds of sightings of Florida panthers to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website launched a year ago, where people can record when and where they saw a panther or its tracks, FWC officials wrote in a news release.

“The public’s willingness to share what they have seen or collected on game cameras is incredibly helpful and shows us where panthers presumably are roaming in Florida,” said Darrell Land, who heads the FWC’s panther team. “We thank everyone using the Report Florida Panther Sightings website and encourage others to participate in this citizen-science venture.”

Only 12 percent of the reports included a photograph and could be evaluated by Commission biologists. Of those with photos, the majority were confirmed as panthers. Other animals identified by FWC biologists were bobcats, foxes, coyotes, dogs, house cats and even a monkey, officials wrote. Most often the reported animal or tracks belonged to a bobcat, when it was not a panther. The verified panther reports were largely confined to southwest Florida, the well-documented breeding range for panthers in the state. There also were several verified sightings in south central Florida.

“As the population of this endangered species grows, the FWC expects more Florida panthers to be seen in areas of the state where they have not lived for decades,” Land said. “To properly plan and manage for the expansion of the panther’s range in Florida, information about where the panthers are is vital.”

The Florida panther population is estimated to be 100 to 160 adults and yearlings, a figure that does not include panther kittens. As recently as the 1970s, the Florida panther was close to disappearing, with as few as 20 animals in the wild.